Three — nay1 four — pictures line the four-walled cell where are stored for me the records of the past. First, Eton. All in that picture is in far perspective, receding2, diminutive3; but freshly coloured, green, dewy, with a spring sky, piled with glittering yet showery clouds; for my childhood was not all sunshine — it had its overcast4, its cold, its stormy hours. Second, X—— huge, dingy5; the canvas cracked and smoked; a yellow sky, sooty clouds; no sun, no azure6; the verdure of the suburbs blighted7 and sullied — a very dreary8 scene.
Third, Belgium; and I will pause before this landscape. As to the fourth, a curtain covers it, which I may hereafter withdraw, or may not, as suits my convenience and capacity. At any rate, for the present it must hang undisturbed. Belgium! name unromantic and unpoetic, yet name that whenever uttered has in my ear a sound, in my heart an echo, such as no other assemblage of syllables9, however sweet or classic, can produce. Belgium! I repeat the word, now as I sit alone near midnight. It stirs my world of the past like a summons to resurrection; the graves unclose, the dead are raised; thoughts, feelings, memories that slept, are seen by me ascending10 from the clods — haloed most of them — but while I gaze on their vapoury forms, and strive to ascertain11 definitely their outline, the sound which wakened them dies, and they sink, each and all, like a light wreath of mist, absorbed in the mould, recalled to urns12, resealed in monuments. Farewell, luminous13 phantoms14!
This is Belgium, reader. Look! don’t call the picture a flat or a dull one — it was neither flat nor dull to me when I first beheld15 it. When I left Ostend on a mild February morning, and found myself on the road to Brussels, nothing could look vapid16 to me. My sense of enjoyment17 possessed18 an edge whetted19 to the finest, untouched, keen, exquisite20. I was young; I had good health; pleasure and I had never met; no indulgence of hers had enervated21 or sated one faculty22 of my nature. Liberty I clasped in my arms for the first time, and the influence of her smile and embrace revived my life like the sun and the west wind. Yes, at that epoch23 I felt like a morning traveller who doubts not that from the hill he is ascending he shall behold24 a glorious sunrise; what if the track be strait, steep, and stony25? he sees it not; his eyes are fixed26 on that summit, flushed already, flushed and gilded27, and having gained it he is certain of the scene beyond. He knows that the sun will face him, that his chariot is even now coming over the eastern horizon, and that the herald28 breeze he feels on his cheek is opening for the god’s career a clear, vast path of azure, amidst clouds soft as pearl and warm as flame. Difficulty and toil29 were to be my lot, but sustained by energy, drawn30 on by hopes as bright as vague, I deemed such a lot no hardship. I mounted now the hill in shade; there were pebbles32, inequalities, briars in my path, but my eyes were fixed on the crimson33 peak above; my imagination was with the refulgent34 firmament35 beyond, and I thought nothing of the stones turning under my feet, or of the thorns scratching my face and hands.
I gazed often, and always with delight, from the window of the diligence (these, be it remembered, were not the days of trains and railroads). Well! and what did I see? I will tell you faithfully. Green, reedy swamps; fields fertile but flat, cultivated in patches that made them look like magnified kitchen-gardens; belts of cut trees, formal as pollard willows36, skirting the horizon; narrow canals, gliding37 slow by the road-side; painted Flemish farmhouses38; some very dirty hovels; a gray, dead sky; wet road, wet fields, wet house-tops: not a beautiful, scarcely a picturesque39 object met my eye along the whole route; yet to me, all was beautiful, all was more than picturesque. It continued fair so long as daylight lasted, though the moisture of many preceding damp days had sodden40 the whole country; as it grew dark, however, the rain recommenced, and it was through streaming and starless darkness my eye caught the first gleam of the lights of Brussels. I saw little of the city but its lights that night. Having alighted from the diligence, a fiacre conveyed me to the Hotel de —— where I had been advised by a fellow-traveller to put up; having eaten a traveller’s supper, I retired41 to bed, and slept a traveller’s sleep.
Next morning I awoke from prolonged and sound repose42 with the impression that I was yet in X—— and perceiving it to be broad daylight I started up, imagining that I had overslept myself and should be behind time at the counting-house. The momentary43 and painful sense of restraint vanished before the revived and reviving consciousness of freedom, as, throwing back the white curtains of my bed, I looked forth45 into a wide, lofty foreign chamber46; how different from the small and dingy, though not uncomfortable, apartment I had occupied for a night or two at a respectable inn in London while waiting for the sailing of the packet! Yet far be it from me to profane47 the memory of that little dingy room! It, too, is dear to my soul; for there, as I lay in quiet and darkness, I first heard the great bell of St. Paul’s telling London it was midnight, and well do I recall the deep, deliberate tones, so full charged with colossal48 phlegm and force. From the small, narrow window of that room, I first saw the dome49, looming50 through a London mist. I suppose the sensations, stirred by those first sounds, first sights, are felt but once; treasure them, Memory; seal them in urns, and keep them in safe niches51! Well — I rose. Travellers talk of the apartments in foreign dwellings52 being bare and uncomfortable; I thought my chamber looked stately and cheerful. It had such large windows — croisees that opened like doors, with such broad, clear panes53 of glass; such a great looking-glass stood on my dressing-table — such a fine mirror glittered over the mantelpiece — the painted floor looked so clean and glossy54; when I had dressed and was descending55 the stairs, the broad marble steps almost awed56 me, and so did the lofty hall into which they conducted. On the first landing I met a Flemish housemaid: she had wooden shoes, a short red petticoat, a printed cotton bedgown, her face was broad, her physiognomy eminently57 stupid; when I spoke58 to her in French, she answered me in Flemish, with an air the reverse of civil; yet I thought her charming; if she was not pretty or polite, she was, I conceived, very picturesque; she reminded me of the female figures in certain Dutch paintings I had seen in other years at Seacombe Hall.
I repaired to the public room; that, too, was very large and very lofty, and warmed by a stove; the floor was black, and the stove was black, and most of the furniture was black: yet I never experienced a freer sense of exhilaration than when I sat down at a very long, black table (covered, however, in part by a white cloth), and, having ordered breakfast, began to pour out my coffee from a little black coffee-pot. The stove might be dismal-looking to some eyes, not to mine, but it was indisputably very warm, and there were two gentlemen seated by it talking in French; impossible to follow their rapid utterance59, or comprehend much of the purport60 of what they said — yet French, in the mouths of Frenchmen, or Belgians (I was not then sensible of the horrors of the Belgian accent) was as music to my ears. One of these gentlemen presently discerned me to be an Englishman — no doubt from the fashion in which I addressed the waiter; for I would persist in speaking French in my execrable South-of-England style, though the man understood English. The gentleman, after looking towards me once or twice, politely accosted61 me in very good English; I remember I wished to God that I could speak French as well; his fluency62 and correct pronunciation impressed me for the first time with a due notion of the cosmopolitan63 character of the capital I was in; it was my first experience of that skill in living languages I afterwards found to be so general in Brussels.
I lingered over my breakfast as long as I could; while it was there on the table, and while that stranger continued talking to me, I was a free, independent traveller; but at last the things were removed, the two gentlemen left the room; suddenly the illusion ceased, reality and business came back. I, a bondsman just released from the yoke64, freed for one week from twenty-one years of constraint65, must, of necessity, resume the fetters66 of dependency. Hardly had I tasted the delight of being without a master when duty issued her stern mandate67: “Go forth and seek another service.” I never linger over a painful and necessary task; I never take pleasure before business, it is not in my nature to do so; impossible to enjoy a leisurely68 walk over the city, though I perceived the morning was very fine, until I had first presented Mr. Hunsden’s letter of introduction, and got fairly on to the track of a new situation. Wrenching69 my mind from liberty and delight, I seized my hat, and forced my reluctant body out of the Hotel de —— into the foreign street.
It was a fine day, but I would not look at the blue sky or at the stately houses round me; my mind was bent70 on one thing, finding out “Mr. Brown, Numero — Rue71 Royale,” for so my letter was addressed. By dint72 of inquiry73 I succeeded; I stood at last at the desired door, knocked, asked for Mr. Brown, and was admitted.
Being shown into a small breakfast-room, I found myself in the presence of an elderly gentleman — very grave, business-like, and respectable-looking. I presented Mr. Hunsden’s letter; he received me very civilly. After a little desultory74 conversation he asked me if there was anything in which his advice or experience could be of use. I said, “ Yes,” and then proceeded to tell him that I was not a gentleman of fortune, travelling for pleasure, but an ex-counting-house clerk, who wanted employment of some kind, and that immediately too. He replied that as a friend of Mr. Hunsden’s he would be willing to assist me as well as he could. After some meditation75 he named a place in a mercantile house at Liege, and another in a bookseller’s shop at Louvain.
“Clerk and shopman!” murmured I to myself. “No.” I shook my head. I had tried the high stool; I hated it; I believed there were other occupations that would suit me better; besides I did not wish to leave Brussels.
“I know of no place in Brussels,” answered Mr. Brown, “unless indeed you were disposed to turn your attention to teaching. I am acquainted with the director of a large establishment who is in want of a professor of English and Latin.”
I thought two minutes, then I seized the idea eagerly.
“The very thing, sir!” said I.
“But,” asked he, “do you understand French well enough to teach Belgian boys English?”
Fortunately I could answer this question in the affirmative; having studied French under a Frenchman, I could speak the language intelligibly77 though not fluently. I could also read it well, and write it decently.
“Then,” pursued Mr. Brown, “I think I can promise you the place, for Monsieur Pelet will not refuse a professor recommended by me; but come here again at five o’clock this afternoon, and I will introduce you to him.”
The word “professor” struck me. “I am not a professor,” said I.
“Oh,” returned Mr. Brown, “professor, here in Belgium, means a teacher, that is all.”
My conscience thus quieted, I thanked Mr. Brown, and, for the present, withdrew. This time I stepped out into the street with a relieved heart; the task I had imposed on myself for that day was executed. I might now take some hours of holiday. I felt free to look up. For the first time I remarked the sparkling clearness of the air, the deep blue of the sky, the gay clean aspect of the white-washed or painted houses; I saw what a fine street was the Rue Royale, and, walking leisurely along its broad pavement, I continued to survey its stately hotels, till the palisades, the gates, and trees of the park appearing in sight, offered to my eye a new attraction. I remember, before entering the park, I stood awhile to contemplate78 the statue of General Belliard, and then I advanced to the top of the great staircase just beyond, and I looked down into a narrow back street, which I afterwards learnt was called the Rue d’Isabelle. I well recollect79 that my eye rested on the green door of a rather large house opposite, where, on a brass80 plate, was inscribed81, “Pensionnat de Demoiselles.” Pensionnat! The word excited an uneasy sensation in my mind; it seemed to speak of restraint. Some of the demoiselles, externats no doubt, were at that moment issuing from the door — I looked for a pretty face amongst them, but their close, little French bonnets82 hid their features; in a moment they were gone.
I had traversed a good deal of Brussels before five o’clock arrived, but punctually as that hour struck I was again in the Rue Royale. Re-admitted to Mr. Brown’s breakfast-room, I found him, as before, seated at the table, and he was not alone — a gentleman stood by the hearth83. Two words of introduction designated him as my future master. “M. Pelet, Mr. Crimsworth; Mr. Crimsworth, M. Pelet” a bow on each side finished the ceremony. I don’t know what sort of a bow I made; an ordinary one, I suppose, for I was in a tranquil84, commonplace frame of mind; I felt none of the agitation85 which had troubled my first interview with Edward Crimsworth. M. Pelet’s bow was extremely polite, yet not theatrical86, scarcely French; he and I were presently seated opposite to each other. In a pleasing voice, low, and, out of consideration to my foreign ears, very distinct and deliberate, M. Pelet intimated that he had just been receiving from “le respectable M. Brown,” an account of my attainments87 and character, which relieved him from all scruple88 as to the propriety89 of engaging me as professor of English and Latin in his establishment; nevertheless, for form’s sake, he would put a few questions to test; my powers. He did, and expressed in flattering terms his satisfaction at my answers. The subject of salary next came on; it was fixed at one thousand francs per annum, besides board and lodging90. “And in addition,” suggested M. Pelet, “as there will be some hours in each day during which your services will not be required in my establishment, you may, in time, obtain employment in other seminaries, and thus turn your vacant moments to profitable account.”
I thought this very kind, and indeed I found afterwards that the terms on which M. Pelet had engaged me were really liberal for Brussels; instruction being extremely cheap there on account of the number of teachers. It was further arranged that I should be installed in my new post the very next day, after which M. Pelet and I parted.
Well, and what was he like? and what were my impressions concerning him? He was a man of about forty years of age, of middle size, and rather emaciated91 figure; his face was pale, his cheeks were sunk, and his eyes hollow; his features were pleasing and regular, they had a French turn (for M. Pelet was no Fleming, but a Frenchman both by birth and parentage), yet the degree of harshness inseparable from Gallic lineaments was, in his case, softened92 by a mild blue eye, and a melancholy93, almost suffering, expression of countenance94; his physiognomy was “fine et spirituelle.” I use two French words because they define better than any English terms the species of intelligence with which his features were imbued95. He was altogether an interesting and prepossessing personage. I wondered only at the utter absence of all the ordinary characteristics of his profession, and almost feared he could not be stern and resolute96 enough for a schoolmaster. Externally at least M. Pelet presented an absolute contrast to my late master, Edward Crimsworth.
Influenced by the impression I had received of his gentleness, I was a good deal surprised when, on arriving the next day at my new employer’s house, and being admitted to a first view of what was to be the sphere of my future labours, namely the large, lofty, and well lighted schoolrooms, I beheld a numerous assemblage of pupils, boys of course, whose collective appearance showed all the signs of a full, flourishing, and well-disciplined seminary. As I traversed the classes in company with M. Pelet, a profound silence reigned97 on all sides, and if by chance a murmur76 or a whisper arose, one glance from the pensive98 eye of this most gentle pedagogue99 stilled it instantly. It was astonishing, I thought, how so mild a check could prove so effectual. When I had perambulated the length and breadth of the classes, M. Pelet turned and said to me —
“Would you object to taking the boys as they are, and testing their proficiency100 in English?”
The proposal was unexpected. I had thought I should have been allowed at least 3 days to prepare; but it is a bad omen44 to commence any career by hesitation101, so I just stepped to the professor’s desk near which we stood, and faced the circle of my pupils. I took a moment to collect my thoughts, and likewise to frame in French the sentence by which I proposed to open business. I made it as short as possible:—
“Messieurs, prenez vos livres de lecture.”
“Anglais ou Francais, monsieur?” demanded a thickset, moon-faced young Flamand in a blouse. The answer was fortunately easy:—
“Anglais.”
I determined102 to give myself as little trouble as possible in this lesson; it would not do yet to trust my unpractised tongue with the delivery of explanations; my accent and idiom would be too open to the criticisms of the young gentlemen before me, relative to whom I felt already it would be necessary at once to take up an advantageous103 position, and I proceeded to employ means accordingly.
“Commencez!” cried I, when they had all produced their books. The moon-faced youth (by name Jules Vanderkelkov, as I afterwards learnt) took the first sentence. The “livre de lecture” was the “Vicar of Wakefield,” much used in foreign schools because it is supposed to contain prime samples of conversational104 English; it might, however, have been a Runic scroll105 for any resemblance the words, as enunciated106 by Jules, bore to the language in ordinary use amongst the natives of Great Britain. My God! how he did snuffle, snort, and wheeze107! All he said was said in his throat and nose, for it is thus the Flamands speak, but I heard him to the end of his paragraph without proffering108 a word of correction, whereat he looked vastly self-complacent, convinced, no doubt, that he had acquitted109 himself like a real born and bred “Anglais.” In the same unmoved silence I listened to a dozen in rotation110, and when the twelfth had concluded with splutter, hiss111, and mumble112, I solemnly laid down the book.
“Arretez!” said I. There was a pause, during which I regarded them all with a steady and somewhat stern gaze; a dog, if stared at hard enough and long enough, will show symptoms of embarrassment113, and so at length did my bench of Belgians. Perceiving that some of the faces before me were beginning to look sullen114, and others ashamed, I slowly joined my hands, and ejaculated in a deep “voix de poitrine”—
“Comme c’est affreux!”
They looked at each other, pouted115, coloured, swung their heels; they were not pleased, I saw, but they were impressed, and in the way I wished them to be. Having thus taken them down a peg116 in their self-conceit, the next step was to raise myself in their estimation; not a very easy thing, considering that I hardly dared to speak for fear of betraying my own deficiencies.
“Ecoutez, messieurs!” said I, and I endeavoured to throw into my accents the compassionate117 tone of a superior being, who, touched by the extremity118 of the helplessness, which at first only excited his scorn, deigns119 at length to bestow120 aid. I then began at the very beginning of the “Vicar of Wakefield,” and read, in a slow, distinct voice, some twenty pages, they all the while sitting mute and listening with fixed attention; by the time I had done nearly an hour had elapsed. I then rose and said:—
“C’est assez pour aujourd’hui, messieurs; demain nous recommencerons, et j’espere que tout121 ira bien.”
With this oracular sentence I bowed, and in company with M. Pelet quitted the school-room.
“C’est bien! c’est tres bien!” said my principal as we entered his parlour. “Je vois que monsieur a de l’adresse; cela, me plait, car, dans l’instruction, l’adresse fait tout autant que le savoir.”
>From the parlour M. Pelet conducted me to my apartment, my “chambre,” as Monsieur said with a certain air of complacency. It was a very small room, with an excessively small bed, but M. Pelet gave me to understand that I was to occupy it quite alone, which was of course a great comfort. Yet, though so limited in dimensions, it had two windows. Light not being taxed in Belgium, the people never grudge122 its admission into their houses; just here, however, this observation is not very apropos123, for one of these windows was boarded up; the open windows looked into the boys’ playground. I glanced at the other, as wondering what aspect it would present if disencumbered of the boards. M. Pelet read, I suppose, the expression of my eye; he explained:—
“La fenetre fermee donne sur un jardin appartenant a un pensionnat de demoiselles,” said he, “et les convenances exigent — enfin, vous comprenez — n’est-ce pas, monsieur?”
“Oui, oui,” was my reply, and I looked of course quite satisfied; but when M. Pelet had retired and closed the door after him, the first thing I did was to scrutinize124 closely the nailed boards, hoping to find some chink or crevice125 which I might enlarge, and so get a peep at the consecrated126 ground. My researches were vain, for the boards were well joined and strongly nailed. It is astonishing how disappointed I felt. I thought it would have been so pleasant to have looked out upon a garden planted with flowers and trees, so amusing to have watched the demoiselles at their play; to have studied female character in a variety of phases, myself the while sheltered from view by a modest muslin curtain, whereas, owing doubtless to the absurd scruples127 of some old duenna of a directress, I had now only the option of looking at a bare gravelled court, with an enormous “pas de geant” in the middle, and the monotonous128 walls and windows of a boys’ school-house round. Not only then, but many a time after, especially in moments of weariness and low spirits, did I look with dissatisfied eyes on that most tantalizing129 board, longing130 to tear it away and get a glimpse of the green region which I imagined to lie beyond. I knew a tree grew close up to the window, for though there were as yet no leaves to rustle131, I often heard at night the tapping of branches against the panes. In the daytime, when I listened attentively132, I could hear, even through the boards, the voices of the demoiselles in their hours of recreation, and, to speak the honest truth, my sentimental133 reflections were occasionally a trifle disarranged by the not quite silvery, in fact the too often brazen134 sounds, which, rising from the unseen paradise below, penetrated135 clamorously into my solitude136. Not to mince137 matters, it really seemed to me a doubtful case whether the lungs of Mdlle. Reuter’s girls or those of M. Pelet’s boys were the strongest, and when it came to shrieking138 the girls indisputably beat the boys hollow. I forgot to say, by-the-by, that Reuter was the name of the old lady who had had my window bearded up. I say old, for such I, of course, concluded her to be, judging from her cautious, chaperon-like proceedings139; besides, nobody ever spoke of her as young. I remember I was very much amused when I first heard her Christian140 name; it was Zoraide — Mademoiselle Zoraide Reuter. But the continental141 nations do allow themselves vagaries142 in the choice of names, such as we sober English never run into. I think, indeed, we have too limited a list to choose from.
Meantime my path was gradually growing smooth before me. I, in a few weeks, conquered the teasing difficulties inseparable from the commencement of almost every career. Ere long I had acquired as much facility in speaking French as set me at my ease with my pupils; and as I had encountered them on a right footing at the very beginning, and continued tenaciously143 to retain the advantage I had early gained, they never attempted mutiny, which circumstance, all who are in any degree acquainted with the ongoings of Belgian schools, and who know the relation in which professors and pupils too frequently stand towards each other in those establishments, will consider an important and uncommon144 one. Before concluding this chapter I will say a word on the system I pursued with regard to my classes: my experience may possibly be of use to others.
It did not require very keen observation to detect the character of the youth of Brabant, but it needed a certain degree of tact145 to adopt one’s measures to their capacity. Their intellectual faculties146 were generally weak, their animal propensities147 strong; thus there was at once an impotence and a kind of inert148 force in their natures; they were dull, but they were also singularly stubborn, heavy as lead and, like lead, most difficult to move. Such being the case, it would have been truly absurd to exact from them much in the way of mental exertion149; having short memories, dense150 intelligence, feeble reflective powers, they recoiled151 with repugnance152 from any occupation that demanded close study or deep thought. Had the abhorred153 effort been extorted154 from them by injudicious and arbitrary measures on the part of the Professor, they would have resisted as obstinately155, as clamorously, as desperate swine; and though not brave singly, they were relentless156 acting157 en masse.
I understood that before my arrival in M. Pelet’s establishment, the combined insubordination of the pupils had effected the dismissal of more than one English master. It was necessary then to exact only the most moderate application from natures so little qualified158 to apply — to assist, in every practicable way, understandings so opaque159 and contracted — to be ever gentle, considerate, yielding even, to a certain point, with dispositions160 so irrationally161 perverse162; but, having reached that culminating point of indulgence, you must fix your foot, plant it, root it in rock — become immutable163 as the towers of Ste. Gudule; for a step — but half a step farther, and you would plunge164 headlong into the gulf165 of imbecility; there lodged166, you would speedily receive proofs of Flemish gratitude167 and magnanimity in showers of Brabant saliva168 and handfuls of Low Country mud. You might smooth to the utmost the path of learning, remove every pebble31 from the track; but then you must finally insist with decision on the pupil taking your arm and allowing himself to be led quietly along the prepared road. When I had brought down my lesson to the lowest level of my dullest pupil’s capacity — when I had shown myself the mildest, the most tolerant of masters — a word of impertinence, a movement of disobedience, changed me at once into a despot. I offered then but one alternative — submission169 and acknowledgment of error, or ignominious170 expulsion. This system answered, and my influence, by degrees, became established on a firm basis. “The boy is father to the man,” it is said; and so I often thought when looked at my boys and remembered the political history of their ancestors. Pelet’s school was merely an epitome171 of the Belgian nation.
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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overcast
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| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
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dingy
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azure
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| adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的 | |
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blighted
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dreary
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syllables
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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ascertain
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urns
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luminous
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phantoms
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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vapid
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enjoyment
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possessed
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whetted
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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enervated
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faculty
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epoch
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| n.(新)时代；历元 | |
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24
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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25
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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26
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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28
herald
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| vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎 | |
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29
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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30
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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31
pebble
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| n.卵石，小圆石 | |
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32
pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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33
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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34
refulgent
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| adj.辉煌的，灿烂的 | |
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35
firmament
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| n.苍穹；最高层 | |
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36
willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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37
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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38
farmhouses
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| n.农舍，农场的主要住房( farmhouse的名词复数 ) | |
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39
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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40
sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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41
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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42
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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43
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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44
omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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45
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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46
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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47
profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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48
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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49
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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50
looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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51
niches
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| 壁龛( niche的名词复数 )； 合适的位置[工作等]； （产品的）商机； 生态位（一个生物所占据的生境的最小单位） | |
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52
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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53
panes
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| 窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 ) | |
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54
glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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55
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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56
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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58
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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59
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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60
purport
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| n.意义，要旨，大要；v.意味著，做为...要旨，要领是... | |
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61
accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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62
fluency
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| n.流畅，雄辩，善辩 | |
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63
cosmopolitan
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| adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的 | |
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64
yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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65
constraint
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| n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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66
fetters
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| n.脚镣( fetter的名词复数 )；束缚v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的第三人称单数 ) | |
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67
mandate
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| n.托管地；命令，指示 | |
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68
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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69
wrenching
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| n.修截苗根，苗木铲根（铲根时苗木不起土或部分起土）v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的现在分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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70
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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71
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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72
dint
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| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
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73
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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74
desultory
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| adj.散漫的，无方法的 | |
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75
meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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76
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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77
intelligibly
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| adv.可理解地，明了地，清晰地 | |
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78
contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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79
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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80
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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81
inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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82
bonnets
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| n.童帽( bonnet的名词复数 )；（烟囱等的）覆盖物；（苏格兰男子的）无边呢帽；（女子戴的）任何一种帽子 | |
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83
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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84
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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85
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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86
theatrical
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| adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的 | |
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87
attainments
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| 成就，造诣； 获得( attainment的名词复数 )； 达到； 造诣； 成就 | |
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88
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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89
propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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90
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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91
emaciated
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| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
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92
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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93
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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94
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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95
imbued
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| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） | |
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96
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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97
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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98
pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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99
pedagogue
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| n.教师 | |
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100
proficiency
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| n.精通，熟练，精练 | |
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101
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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102
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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103
advantageous
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| adj.有利的；有帮助的 | |
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104
conversational
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| adj.对话的，会话的 | |
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105
scroll
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| n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡 | |
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106
enunciated
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| v.（清晰地）发音( enunciate的过去式和过去分词 )；确切地说明 | |
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107
wheeze
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| n.喘息声，气喘声；v.喘息着说 | |
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108
proffering
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的现在分词 ) | |
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109
acquitted
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| 宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现 | |
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110
rotation
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| n.旋转；循环，轮流 | |
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111
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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112
mumble
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| n./v.喃喃而语，咕哝 | |
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113
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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114
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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115
pouted
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| v.撅（嘴）( pout的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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116
peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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117
compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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118
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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119
deigns
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的第三人称单数 ) | |
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120
bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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121
tout
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| v.推销，招徕；兜售；吹捧，劝诱 | |
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122
grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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123
apropos
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| adv.恰好地；adj.恰当的；关于 | |
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124
scrutinize
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| n.详细检查，细读 | |
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125
crevice
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| n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口 | |
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126
consecrated
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| adj.神圣的，被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 )；奉献 | |
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127
scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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128
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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129
tantalizing
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| adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 ) | |
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130
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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131
rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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132
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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133
sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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134
brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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135
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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136
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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137
mince
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| n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说 | |
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138
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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139
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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140
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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141
continental
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| adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的 | |
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142
vagaries
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| n.奇想( vagary的名词复数 )；异想天开；异常行为；难以预测的情况 | |
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143
tenaciously
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| 坚持地 | |
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144
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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145
tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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146
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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147
propensities
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| n.倾向，习性( propensity的名词复数 ) | |
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inert
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| adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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150
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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151
recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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152
repugnance
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| n.嫌恶 | |
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153
abhorred
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| v.憎恶( abhor的过去式和过去分词 )；（厌恶地）回避；拒绝；淘汰 | |
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154
extorted
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| v.敲诈( extort的过去式和过去分词 )；曲解 | |
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155
obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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156
relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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157
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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159
opaque
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| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
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dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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161
irrationally
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| ad.不理性地 | |
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162
perverse
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| adj.刚愎的；坚持错误的，行为反常的 | |
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163
immutable
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| adj.不可改变的，永恒的 | |
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164
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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166
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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167
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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168
saliva
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| n.唾液，口水 | |
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169
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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170
ignominious
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| adj.可鄙的，不光彩的，耻辱的 | |
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epitome
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| n.典型，梗概 | |
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